buglersholiday

[buglersholiday]

zero context WIP tag game

If you’re tagged, make a new post and share 1-2 (a few) sentences from your most recent unposted WIP(s) with zero context – Let your followers guess!

I was tagged by @demy85, thank you!!!💜

This is one delightfully evil tag game. So, let’s go with the angsty bits from four different unposted WIPs! (Shadowhunters, Malec as always)

Alec's breathing comes out in croaky gasps that rattle like death. Strangled snores echo in the empty hallways as Alec's blood pools on the ground and in Magnus' hands, staining the white blouse he'd worn for their date. "Alec, darling, sayang, please."

He should despise him. Loathe him. Abhor the very ground he stands on for being among the worst of his kind and following in his parents' footsteps. So why does his laugh keep echoing in Magnus' ears?

Alec crashes to his knees, the ground disappearing from underneath his feet as his mind registers the scene in front of him - the lifeless bodies. The thorn-up clothing and broken weapons. The blood.

There's blood in his mouth and ash on his tongue, his body is made of broken bones and bruises at this point, but the moment they drag him out, eyes terrified and sobs muffled into silence, Alec snaps.

(Because I don't want to be toooo evil, none of these scenes end up in permanent character death for those who are sensitive to it and need the reassurance.)

Tagging, without any pressure whatsoever, @miss-mouse, @myulalie, @sandylee007, @echo-bleu and naturally anyone else who sees this and wants to participate. :D

#The ANGST!!!! #How dareeeeeee #I can already tell these are going to wreck me and I am very much looking forward to it and dreading it in equal measure

[buglersholiday]

Hey!! Your working titles were killing me, and I am genuinely curious about so many of them but I would love something from either “Why do these OC-s-have so many backdtory-NOBODY cares Lys” (because I honestly do love your OC’s) or the dragons one (cause I’m always a sucker for dragons).

Hope you are having a good weekend! 💙

Alrigh, somebody else asked for the "Why do these OC-s-have so many backdtory-NOBODY cares Lys” so I'll share the snippet in that ask, so this one will be the dragon one! This is a post-season 3 fic, in which Magnus turns into a dragon after absorbing Edom's power. It starts a bit angsty because Magnus doesn't know what's happening. It also includes some body horror when Magnus gets turned into a dragon before it devolves into fluff because dragon!Magnus is just as besotted as regular!Magnus even when he just turned and is 100% working on instinct.

Alec is just happy to have his boyfriend back.

And my weekend went well, I hope yours did too!💜

The fire in his blood keeps growing, morphing into something more. Different. Changed. His skin itches and pulls, his magic beating inside of him like a caged animal as his body grows too small, too constraining. Alexander is worried. Magnus knows he is. He sees it in the permanent frown on his face or the hesitation in his eyes when he reaches out. Alexander has always been free in his affections, free and unafraid in a way that Magnus can't help but admire. Magnus hates that he's changing that, that he's making Alexander doubt his touch is nothing but dearly wanted, but he can't stop. The inferno inside of him keeps growing worse. Growing painful. Growing out of control. And Magnus can't hurt Alexander. Not like that. Not with his magic. But the itching is growing, tearing him apart cell by cell from within, and, as much as Magnus usually trusts his magic, trusts it to recognize Alexander and keep him from harm, this time he can't.

#love this so much #my hands crave art supplies #I HAVE SO MANY WIP TO FINISH ABOUT YOUR WORK IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY BUT MY ENERGY HAS NOT BEEN COOPERATING #ALSO I LOVE DRAGONS AND THIS AU SO MUCH #SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR PROTECTIVE MAGNUS AND ALEC #I LOVE IT SO MUCH

[buglersholiday]

I knit and embroidered a little version of bubbles from @foodsies4me 's Fanfic All was Golden! I love him very much, despite by embroidery stills definitely not being the best. :)

#fanart #my art

[buglersholiday]

I only really knit but I found a couple crochet patterns that may work for something like this on ravelry and Etsy if people are wanting to make them! They are not exactly the same, but it seems like they may share some elements in common with the above patterns. Just ended up looking up realistic octopus patterns :)

True facts.

#Not sure about level of difficulty as I do not crochet and am I bit out of my depth on those

[buglersholiday]

Fanart for “How To Design Your Own Prosthesis And Turn The Project Into A Bonding Experience” by @jackdaw-kraai

Carefully yeeting your son, the musical (Chapter 18)

(This sketch as a bonus because I like it :>)

[buglersholiday]

'Still untitled this is getting ridiculous' and/or 'wingfic prompt' for the snippets!

@kalalab Also requested the "Still untitled this is getting ridiculous" so here is a snippet!

"Am I right to assume there will be a similar fanfare next week?" "Why would there be?" Alexander asks looking and sounding genuinely confused by the question. "Well, unless the Clave dictates Heads are barred from enjoying birthday parties like the rest, I would assume there would be some celebrations for you as well?" A look of understanding dawns on Alexander's face. "Oh, you mean the - no, that's because today is Stonewell's thirtieth," he says, smiling as they pass another red balloon with the number thirty emblazoned on it in gold. "He's the first one in years, so-" a sheepish shrug, "we might have gone slightly overboard." "I thought Stonewell was turning forty-four?" Magnus asks, letting his voice trail off as he waits for Alexander to fill him in. Alexander who shakes his head before looking back at him. "I keep forgetting you don't know all of our customs," he apologizes, holding out his hand for Magnus to link their fingers together. "Stonewell turned forty-four today, marking his thirtieth year as an active duty shadowhunter." Alexander explains the situation in an easy factual manner. He's smiling and at ease the way he has been throughout the whole festivities, not seeming to realize the tragedy of what he just said. Leave it to shadowhunters to find a way to turn something as innocuous as celebrating a birthday into something morbidly depressing.

[buglersholiday]

Crow having the worst luck in the world please! (I love all your fics but outside POVs are just mwah.)

I adore outside POVs as well and Crow's POV is hilarious to write from:

It's a Tuesday when the universe reminds Crow that it fucking hates him because this time around Crow hadn't even done anything that would merit him being punished. Crow had fled the US and moved to Italy as soon as the whole situation with Kenlo and whatever the fuck it was he managed to do to himself had gotten resolved. He cleaned up his act, ran away from the scary shadowhunters and their even more terrifying shadowhunter spawn, and got a normal, boring mundane job as a waiter in a small coffee shop. Crow had summoned no demons, no creatures, no nothing. He had done nothing but keep his fucking head down to ensure it would stay attached to his fucking head and act like the model warlock citizen, Bane had terrified him into being. He had even been paying for the food he'd been conjuring! Mostly. At least once. In short, Crow had been behaving like a fucking saint. He'd been just and honest and good, but clearly, the universe hates him as much as his mother used to. Because Of. Fucking. Course. "Hey, Mister Warlock!" Max yells as he comes bounding toward him, eyes wide and deceptively innocent, "You're here too!" Exit the planet. Crow should have just fucking exited the planet.

[buglersholiday]

Thank you so much!!! This is absolutely glorious!!!!! Alec is so overworked 😭, I just want Catarina to bundle him up in a blanket burrito and take him away from the institute until he learns to value himself but I know Alec would never let that happen. His warlock mark sounds really cool!!! Thanks again!!!!!!! 😁

AWG but Alec has a warlock mark

Tagging @ariella9melody and @buglersholiday because you both asked for this prompt that ended up in Cat's POV because the majority of Alec's POV would have been a mixture of "don't speak to Magnus Bane", "don't speak of Magnus Bane" and "don't tell Catarina about Magnus Bane"

Catarina stares at the young teenager, barely more than a child, in front of her. She takes in the nervous way he’s clenching and unclenching his fingers, his eyes darting every so often to a smiling Magnus, who is discussing some last-minute details with Elder Musa.

The boy is clearly uncomfortable with Magnus being there and Catarina is still trying to figure out if that’s due to his parents or something else. She doesn't think it's the usual shadowhunter bigotry, though, which is a relief because she wouldn’t want him to fight to overcome self-hatred on top of everything he already has on his plate.

“So, Alec,” she says, “- are you fine with me calling you that? Or do you prefer something else?”

“Alec is fine,” he nods, eyes darting over to a slowly approaching Ragnor. “But - uh, I thought you were sending me back to the institute, so,” another look sent Magnus’ way and a sigh of relief when he leaves, “Why am I here?”

“I’ll make a portal for you,” Catarina reassures, trying not to scare the young teenager away or make him think they’re keeping him captive, “But you’re here so we can schedule a training regimen for you that wouldn’t interrupt your shadowhunter duties.”

Catarina tries to keep her voice even as she says this, trying to ignore the same impulse that had pushed several of the Elders to mention the word ‘kidnapping’ in more than a joking manner. Because it wasn’t enough for Alec to be in an immense amount of danger just by existing. No, the Lightwoods also had the fantastic idea of letting a thirteen-year-old patrol.

Alec furrows his eyebrows together, “Why?”

“To teach you how to control your magic,” Catarina says, confused by Alec’s sudden confusion. He had been the one to seek her out, after all, panic and fear were visible in every line of his body when he asked her for help because his glamour runes refused to work any longer.

Catarina had been confused at first, wariness and compassion in equal measure had put her on high alert, her magic scouring her surroundings for any other angelic signatures, which led to her only catching half of Alec’s explanation.

That confusion had faded the moment Alec had raised his shirt and twisted around to reveal white, opalescent scales that gathered into small diamond-like shapes along his spine. A warlock mark.

Catarina had been quick to contact Magnus and the other Elders despite the panicked request she keeps this between them. Something like a shadowhunter-born warlock, one that could bear runes unlike Tessa, was not something she would have been able to keep to herself. Not when that very fact put Alec into a world of danger.

Still, it had taken her nearly an hour to get Alec’s okay. The promise of blood oaths that would prevent her and the Elders from sharing the information with anyone else enough to finally convince him.

That's how they ended up in their current situation, though, Catarina is starting to realize there was some miscommunication somewhere down the line if Alec is asking her why she would help him train his magic.

“But you glamoured the…my back,” Alec says, eyebrows still furrowed in confusion. “That’s all I needed.”

Catarina gentles her voice, “Untrained magic is dangerous magic,” she says, repeating the sentence her own teacher had installed into her at a young age.

Alec somehow looks even more confused.“But I don’t have magic,” he corrects, breaking his parade’s rest to scratch at a spot over his chest. “I’m pretty sure I would have noticed if I had.”

“Maybe it’s weaker because of your angelic blood,” Catarina muses, walking over to her couch and inviting him over. “But I can assure you, you do.”

Alec presses his lips together, “I don’t want to be a bother,” he says, sounding old and painfully young all at once. “You mentioned you’re a nurse and I don’t want to take up your free time to accommodate my schedule.”

There’s something infuriatingly adult in the way he speaks, a maturity that comes from being forced to grow up past your age. Then again, she thinks sardonically, being used like the Nephilim equivalent of canon fodder will do that to you.

Seriously, a thirteen-year-old patrolling. Most warlocks wouldn’t let their children or apprentices brew a harmless beginner's potion by themselves at that age.

“I’m sure we can figure out something that would work out for the both of us,” she says, conjuring a pen and a notepad that she holds out to him. “Now, what about you write down your schedule and I write mine down.”

Alec does as ordered and starts writing down his weekly schedule to her growing horror. Starting at half past five in the morning, Alec's days seem to stretch well until midnight on the nights that he isn't patrolling and that will just not stand.

"As a nurse, I'm obliged to tell you that the recommended amount of sleep for a child your age is eight to ten hours a day."

"I'm a shadowhunter, not a child," Alec says with an assertiveness that doesn't come from defensiveness, but from being told the same words over and over again. "And I think I'm finished."

Alec hands her the schedule and Catarina tries to read the different categories Alec has written down: training, trainees, paperwork, Max and Leo, archery practice, patrol, sparring with Jace, sword practice, studying, rune practice, and story time.

"Training and trainees?" she asks, wondering what the difference is between both categories.

"Training is for Jace, my parabatai, Izzy, my sister, and I. The trainees are what we call my little brother and his best friend, they just turned three and are learning their basic forms. I'm helping them."

Catarina nods to show she understands. She supposes she can't fault Alec for wanting to be a good brother and help his little brother with his training, even if the thought of a three-year-old needing to learn how to fight is horrifying to even think of.

"And Max and Leo?"

"The New York Institute isn't a kid institute, so Max and Leo don't really have anyone to play with or keep them busy."

Catarina nods again to avoid asking about the amount of 'Max' as well as 'Max and Leo' time as well as 'Trainee' time that has been penciled in. Instead, she summons a cup of hot chocolate for Alec to have something to distract herself and him with. Then, after he's taken a few sips, eyes brightening in delight - and oh, she wouldn't have taken him for a sweet tooth - she asks about the strangest entry.

"What about paperwork? Is that similar to the studying and rune practice?"

Alec shakes his head, slowly lowering his cup on the coffee table, "No, it's just - when mom and dad are away to other institutes or in Idriss, I have to do the paperwork," he says with a careless shrug.

Catarina looks down at the schedule, looks back at the young teenager on her couch, and back at the schedule. Then, she bites down the question that is burning on her tongue.

After all, the answer is staring at her in the shape of a frankly ridiculous schedule that Alec wrote down without a second thought.

This means the story time entry, the entry that takes place twice a day at the same time every single day, right around what would be the usual bedtime for a three-year-old, is exactly what the word entails.

Catarina didn't think her personal opinion on Maryse and Robert Lightwood could sink any lower.

"Your studies are they with a teacher?" She asks, looking at the few spots those take. She wouldn't be able to ask him to do the paperwork he shouldn't be doing over at her apartment, but maybe she can convince him to take his studying sessions here.

"Not anymore," Alec says, "I just get the study material and the homework I need to finish. Why?"

"Well, then I suggest we broaden your studies during those hours," she says, circling the study hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the days she usually has off. "That okay with you?"

Alec is still looking at her with a confused expression as if unsure of what to expect from her. "If that's easiest for you," he says, hand coming to scratch that spot on his hand again, "Otherwise I can adapt. I just have to be there for Max when he wakes up and when he goes to sleep, but the rest I can switch around."

Catarina had an inkling he would say something like this.

"Don't worry, this would work out the best for both of us," she reassures, hiding the anger behind a kind smile and another cup of hot chocolate. Then, she gives Alec his promised portal with a promise to see him on Thursday and dials a number she knows as well as her own.

Magnus picks up on the first ring. "Chocolate or alcohol?"

"Both. As well as a plan on how to murder the Lightwoods if you'd please."

"That bad?"

Catarina thinks of patrolling at thirteen years old, thinks of the hellish schedule and the fact that Alec was apparently single-handedly raising his little brother, is semi-raising his two older siblings from what he'd told her during their short conversation afterward on top of not quite running the institute in his parents' absence before she finally gives her answer.

"Worse."

#foodsies writes #Thank you!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa #I love tiny Alec so much!! #little adorable magic bean #Magnus is going to be so confused when he finds out they are soulmates #just realized that they might have figured out the bond and the problems with it much earlier in this verse #as Alec’s magic was known from the start #Also the labyrinth would also be so fascinated with him

[buglersholiday]

AWG but Alec has a warlock mark

Tagging @ariella9melody and @buglersholiday because you both asked for this prompt that ended up in Cat's POV because the majority of Alec's POV would have been a mixture of "don't speak to Magnus Bane", "don't speak of Magnus Bane" and "don't tell Catarina about Magnus Bane"

Catarina stares at the young teenager, barely more than a child, in front of her. She takes in the nervous way he’s clenching and unclenching his fingers, his eyes darting every so often to a smiling Magnus, who is discussing some last-minute details with Elder Musa.

The boy is clearly uncomfortable with Magnus being there and Catarina is still trying to figure out if that’s due to his parents or something else. She doesn't think it's the usual shadowhunter bigotry, though, which is a relief because she wouldn’t want him to fight to overcome self-hatred on top of everything he already has on his plate.

“So, Alec,” she says, “- are you fine with me calling you that? Or do you prefer something else?”

“Alec is fine,” he nods, eyes darting over to a slowly approaching Ragnor. “But - uh, I thought you were sending me back to the institute, so,” another look sent Magnus’ way and a sigh of relief when he leaves, “Why am I here?”

“I’ll make a portal for you,” Catarina reassures, trying not to scare the young teenager away or make him think they’re keeping him captive, “But you’re here so we can schedule a training regimen for you that wouldn’t interrupt your shadowhunter duties.”

Catarina tries to keep her voice even as she says this, trying to ignore the same impulse that had pushed several of the Elders to mention the word ‘kidnapping’ in more than a joking manner. Because it wasn’t enough for Alec to be in an immense amount of danger just by existing. No, the Lightwoods also had the fantastic idea of letting a thirteen-year-old patrol.

Alec furrows his eyebrows together, “Why?”

“To teach you how to control your magic,” Catarina says, confused by Alec’s sudden confusion. He had been the one to seek her out, after all, panic and fear were visible in every line of his body when he asked her for help because his glamour runes refused to work any longer.

Catarina had been confused at first, wariness and compassion in equal measure had put her on high alert, her magic scouring her surroundings for any other angelic signatures, which led to her only catching half of Alec’s explanation.

That confusion had faded the moment Alec had raised his shirt and twisted around to reveal white, opalescent scales that gathered into small diamond-like shapes along his spine. A warlock mark.

Catarina had been quick to contact Magnus and the other Elders despite the panicked request she keeps this between them. Something like a shadowhunter-born warlock, one that could bear runes unlike Tessa, was not something she would have been able to keep to herself. Not when that very fact put Alec into a world of danger.

Still, it had taken her nearly an hour to get Alec’s okay. The promise of blood oaths that would prevent her and the Elders from sharing the information with anyone else enough to finally convince him.

That's how they ended up in their current situation, though, Catarina is starting to realize there was some miscommunication somewhere down the line if Alec is asking her why she would help him train his magic.

“But you glamoured the…my back,” Alec says, eyebrows still furrowed in confusion. “That’s all I needed.”

Catarina gentles her voice, “Untrained magic is dangerous magic,” she says, repeating the sentence her own teacher had installed into her at a young age.

Alec somehow looks even more confused.“But I don’t have magic,” he corrects, breaking his parade’s rest to scratch at a spot over his chest. “I’m pretty sure I would have noticed if I had.”

“Maybe it’s weaker because of your angelic blood,” Catarina muses, walking over to her couch and inviting him over. “But I can assure you, you do.”

Alec presses his lips together, “I don’t want to be a bother,” he says, sounding old and painfully young all at once. “You mentioned you’re a nurse and I don’t want to take up your free time to accommodate my schedule.”

There’s something infuriatingly adult in the way he speaks, a maturity that comes from being forced to grow up past your age. Then again, she thinks sardonically, being used like the Nephilim equivalent of canon fodder will do that to you.

Seriously, a thirteen-year-old patrolling. Most warlocks wouldn’t let their children or apprentices brew a harmless beginner's potion by themselves at that age.

“I’m sure we can figure out something that would work out for the both of us,” she says, conjuring a pen and a notepad that she holds out to him. “Now, what about you write down your schedule and I write mine down.”

Alec does as ordered and starts writing down his weekly schedule to her growing horror. Starting at half past five in the morning, Alec's days seem to stretch well until midnight on the nights that he isn't patrolling and that will just not stand.

"As a nurse, I'm obliged to tell you that the recommended amount of sleep for a child your age is eight to ten hours a day."

"I'm a shadowhunter, not a child," Alec says with an assertiveness that doesn't come from defensiveness, but from being told the same words over and over again. "And I think I'm finished."

Alec hands her the schedule and Catarina tries to read the different categories Alec has written down: training, trainees, paperwork, Max and Leo, archery practice, patrol, sparring with Jace, sword practice, studying, rune practice, and story time.

"Training and trainees?" she asks, wondering what the difference is between both categories.

"Training is for Jace, my parabatai, Izzy, my sister, and I. The trainees are what we call my little brother and his best friend, they just turned three and are learning their basic forms. I'm helping them."

Catarina nods to show she understands. She supposes she can't fault Alec for wanting to be a good brother and help his little brother with his training, even if the thought of a three-year-old needing to learn how to fight is horrifying to even think of.

"And Max and Leo?"

"The New York Institute isn't a kid institute, so Max and Leo don't really have anyone to play with or keep them busy."

Catarina nods again to avoid asking about the amount of 'Max' as well as 'Max and Leo' time as well as 'Trainee' time that has been penciled in. Instead, she summons a cup of hot chocolate for Alec to have something to distract herself and him with. Then, after he's taken a few sips, eyes brightening in delight - and oh, she wouldn't have taken him for a sweet tooth - she asks about the strangest entry.

"What about paperwork? Is that similar to the studying and rune practice?"

Alec shakes his head, slowly lowering his cup on the coffee table, "No, it's just - when mom and dad are away to other institutes or in Idriss, I have to do the paperwork," he says with a careless shrug.

Catarina looks down at the schedule, looks back at the young teenager on her couch, and back at the schedule. Then, she bites down the question that is burning on her tongue.

After all, the answer is staring at her in the shape of a frankly ridiculous schedule that Alec wrote down without a second thought.

This means the story time entry, the entry that takes place twice a day at the same time every single day, right around what would be the usual bedtime for a three-year-old, is exactly what the word entails.

Catarina didn't think her personal opinion on Maryse and Robert Lightwood could sink any lower.

"Your studies are they with a teacher?" She asks, looking at the few spots those take. She wouldn't be able to ask him to do the paperwork he shouldn't be doing over at her apartment, but maybe she can convince him to take his studying sessions here.

"Not anymore," Alec says, "I just get the study material and the homework I need to finish. Why?"

"Well, then I suggest we broaden your studies during those hours," she says, circling the study hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday the days she usually has off. "That okay with you?"

Alec is still looking at her with a confused expression as if unsure of what to expect from her. "If that's easiest for you," he says, hand coming to scratch that spot on his hand again, "Otherwise I can adapt. I just have to be there for Max when he wakes up and when he goes to sleep, but the rest I can switch around."

Catarina had an inkling he would say something like this.

"Don't worry, this would work out the best for both of us," she reassures, hiding the anger behind a kind smile and another cup of hot chocolate. Then, she gives Alec his promised portal with a promise to see him on Thursday and dials a number she knows as well as her own.

Magnus picks up on the first ring. "Chocolate or alcohol?"

"Both. As well as a plan on how to murder the Lightwoods if you'd please."

"That bad?"

Catarina thinks of patrolling at thirteen years old, thinks of the hellish schedule and the fact that Alec was apparently single-handedly raising his little brother, is semi-raising his two older siblings from what he'd told her during their short conversation afterward on top of not quite running the institute in his parents' absence before she finally gives her answer.

"Worse."

[buglersholiday]

Not sure where your muse is at this morning, but I absolutely love “Live my feelings, feel your pain” and I know you had mentioned a Magnus POV for that one. Do you have any thoughts or ideas about a scene from that one? The angst absolutely got me! 😁 Also your rec list a couple weeks ago made me really crave winged Alec. What do you think a winged Alec would look like in the shadowhunter culture that you created? Would the trainees have wings? Would it only be some of them? What would Alec’s life be like if he did end up with a warlock mark in the AWG universe? How would it be different? Sorry, that’s a lot of questions, but feel free to do with them what you will! Hope the prompts help and thank you so much for all your work and writing!! 😁

Prompts?

I'm in the mood to write but nothing strikes the mood, so I am trying my hand at doing some prompts. So, if anyone has any prompts for me (or wants to bully me into writing/working on a WIP) please feel free to come do so, maybe that'll kick my butt into action.

[buglersholiday]

Another one inspired by Apollo: Blood Wars by Foodsies (though not a specific scene from the fic), as I really wanted to make one of Alec and Apollo. Really happy with how Alec's hair turned out this time! :)

#fanart #my art

[buglersholiday]

I was inspired to make this image of Magnus by Foodsies wonderful new fic "Bridges Over Lakes Of Salt." I was trying to capture Magnus' "Poisonous smile" and darker energy.

#fanart #my art

[buglersholiday]

Fanart based on a section of the final chapter of Foodsies' wonderful fanfic "All was Golden" that I finally had time to work on! :)

#my art #fanart

[buglersholiday]

Okay now I’m fully invested in Magnus realising the trainees are to totally in love in love with him. Imagine the trainees defending Magnus’ honour in front of the whole Institute. Magnus blush in the back whilst Alec look on all proud and kinda smug too :)

Well, this sure sparked the muse back to life!

I am putting a line break because this got slightly long again. But here is a "the trainees take revenge on someone for being mean to Magnus" snippet, featuring a stabby Doris, a feral Clara, an Alec who threatens people off-camera, and Max the prankster, who is as always backed up by his three fellow pranksters.

Magnus hadn't paid the insult any mind. William Ashdown, had been the latest Clave envoy in a series of many to be sent to the New York Institute. He'd arrived with slicked-back hair and a sneering frown that Magnus was all too familiar with, looking like every other shadowhunter Magnus had met throughout the years. Magnus had been standing in the Operations Room when Ashdown arrived, checking the wards on Alexander's request after the ward had started to feel "weird". Ashdown's frown turned into a disgusted scowl the moment his eyes landed on Magnus. "Could we discuss this somewhere more private," he sneered, shooting a look at Magnus as he said this, "We wouldn't want to have any unsavory ears listen in." "I trust my shadowhunters," Alexander countered, his eyes turning steely, "-and considering they will be the ones most impacted, I think it's only fair they hear how the Clave has decided to handle Valentine's reappearance." "And the warlock? We can hardly trust one of them with this information," Ashdown sneered and that had been enough for Magnus to turn his focus back to that something his magic had crossed. He wasn't interested in hearing what else the man had to say and that spark of something felt.. drowsy. Tired and old and, dare he say it, strange. Magnus hadn't cared about Ashborne's opinion.

The trainees had been another story. A pained shriek had snapped Magnus out of his trance, eyes darting to the left where Alexander and Ashdown had been standing, only to see Ashborne pull his hand away from a scowling Clara with blood running down her chin. Before Magnus could wonder what had pushed Clara to bite someone, Ashdown raised his hand to try and strike her. Alexander had Ashborne's hand clenched into a death grip before the man was even done raising his hand. "You take back what you said about Magnus!" Doris screamed not a second later, drowning out whatever order Ashborne had given Alexander. She had stomped her way over to Ashborne, hair frizzy and eyes glaring daggers before she'd put herself in front of Clara with her steel practice sword clenched tightly in her hands, "And if you hurt Clara, I will stab you." Clara had only stuck her tongue before biting her teeth together to mimic biting Ashborne a second time. "Head Lightwood, I suggest you get your shadowhunters-in-training under control now," Ashborne hissed as he tried to pull his hand back, only for Alexander to tighten his grip. "And how do you suggest I do that, Mister Ashborne?" Alexander asked, cocking his head to the left and tightening his grip even further. It's when Ashborne's hand started to bend in a decidedly unnatural way that Magnus intervened. "Alexander, I'm sure Mister Ashborne didn't mean any insult," he cut in, placing his hand on Alexander's shoulders to try and calm him down before he snapped Ashborne's wrist, "Right?"

A quick flash of his magic - harmless but enough to make it visible - was all it took to have Ashborne take a stumbling step back and give him a quick affirmative nod. "Then say sorry," Doris had ordered from the same spot she'd been standing earlier, crossing her arms in defiance when Ashborne tried to brush past her. "Say sorry," she repeated, her words being echoed by all of the other trainees present in the room - William, Sarah, two scowling Rebeccas who were busy snapping the staffs in their hands into increasingly small pieces of wood, and a glaring Hideaki that had placed himself between Magnus and Ashborne. Max, who had been sitting closest to them along with Madzie, had been the only one missing from the trainees, though seeing Madzie's absence, Magnus didn't have to wonder where he'd disappeared off to. "Alright, my little beans, let's get calmed down and leave Alec and Mister Ashborne to their discussion, why don't we?" Magnus asked to try and remedy the situation, but the trainees weren't budging. "No," Hideaki whispered, tightening his hand on the straps of his backpack when the others turned their eyes toward him, "he was mean to you and to Madzie. You're our friend. We don't let people be mean to you." "Ki, is right!" Sarah growled. For the first time since Magnus met her, her entire body was still, knees bent and hands balled into fists as she assessed the threat in front of her. Somehow, it was that nearly unnatural stillness that was so unlike Sarah that made the emotions begin to well up in his throat. Ashborne didn't last another five minutes before he muttered an unconvincing apology that Magnus was quick to accept before the trainees decided it wasn't good enough. He then waved Alexander away, telling him to bring Ashborne to his office before Magnus was whisked away by his favorite shadowhunters-in-training. Doris hadn't hesitated before taking his hand in hers to drag him to the table the trainees had been sitting at where Steph had been ready to plop herself down on Magnus' lap. Aloysius, who had been fetched by a still irate Clara, had brought snacks and a cup of - truly terrible - coffee while the other trainees hovered around him in protective fury that threatened to spring tears to his eyes. Madzie came running back not long after Ariadne had joined them, offering Magnus a hug before asking him if he was okay. Max didn't return. The other three members of the fearsome foursome didn't make an appearance either. Not even when Alexander and Ashborne walked back into the Operations Room over an hour later, Ashborne looking far paler than when he'd left, did they show. All four terrors stayed carefully hidden until Ashborne's scheduled portal back to Idriss opened on the institute's doorsteps. Then, all four came running down the institute's pathway, talking among themselves as they tried to balance the different buckets filled with - was it tar? ichor? Magnus couldn't say for sure, but buckets full of something in their hands. All four of them "accidentally" tripped as soon as they were within reach of Ashborne. And all of them "accidentally" spilled the contents onto him right as he fell through the portal. The smile on Max's face when he turned to face him was innocence itself. "Oops?" The smile that followed, was anything but.

#Love this so much oh my goodness!! #also MAGUS CALLS THE TRAINEES BEANS I AM SCREAMING!!! YESSSS

[buglersholiday]

Me getting up in the morning like 

Hittin’ the keyboard like

Friends comin’ online like

DID YOu SEE tHE THINGg MY GOD

[buglersholiday]

hi! hello - I just wanted to let you know that when you create a collection and private it that means no one else can access/read fics that are in said collection. of course you may be a reason for doing this, or maybe you're just unaware. either way just wanted to point this out on the off chance you didn't know.

anyway have a good week and enjoy your reading - you have excellent taste!

Hello anon, thank you for reaching out! I know collecting fics and making the collection private turns fics invisible, so yes this was done purposefully.

I have been receiving a slew of negative to downright hateful comments lately - the one I received today taking the proverbial cake - and it was either making everything private for a bit of a while or outright deleting everything. Getting unwanted concrit and even harsh unwarranted criticism is one thing, but someone was so kind /s as to dive straight into the ad hominem attacks today. The whole comment was just attack after attack on my character and me as a person. I don't know this person, and this person doesn't know me, but apparently, my calling out a previous commenter on how their criticism was unwanted and unwelcome made it so I could be attacked on my person. As you can imagine, this isn't good for my stress levels or my mental health hence why I privated everything.

I do hope to unveil everything again in a couple of days or a week or two in the hopes that the comments will have stopped - or at least lowered to levels that don't take all of the joy out of writing for me - but I can't make no promises at the moment because this really has been taking a toll on me.

Thank you for reaching out and for explaining in case I had done this by mistake though. And thank you for the well wishes as well, I hope you have a good week as well.💜

#sorry this is happening #your writing is amazing

[buglersholiday]

If you’re the type of person to write these kinds of comments then fuck you in particular. This is what kills fandom and makes people stop writing, seriously it’s not difficult to shut your mouth and use the back button.

#So sorry people have been leaving comments like that :( #your work is wonderful and so is your characterization of Magnus